More and more people today try to follow an active lifestyle. Due to this, they are much more likely to be exposed to different people and activities than ever before. As our days get busier, we become less aware of our bodily functions, which also undergo increased activity as we encounter both physical and emotional stress on a regular basis. For most people, such stress causes the body to sweat.

Sweating is the body’s natural response to an intense situation. The nervous system immediately senses any stressors in the body’s immediate environment and signals the sweat glands to produce sweat. This helps the body, which naturally heats up during stressful moments, regulate its own temperature. This is most obvious when we are subjected to climates warmer than our own, when exercising, or when we feel nervous, angry, embarrassed, or afraid.

While sweating is perfectly normal, excessive sweating may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Excessive sweating is normally defined as the state when the body produces more sweat than is needed to regulate the body temperature. Excessive sweating is also known by its medical term, hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosisis a medical disorder characterized by excessive sweating at any part of the body. It is a medical condition that causes the sufferer to experience unpredictable and excessive sweating, even at cool and comfortable temperatures, or when they are at rest. Cases of hyperhidrosis usually affect specific parts of the body, such as hands, armpits and feet. Excessive sweating in the hands is called palmar hyperhidrosis; in the armpits, it’s called axillary hyperhidrosis; and in the feet, it’s called plantar hyperhidrosis. The sympathetic nervous system controls much of the sweating process, and any problem affecting it may affect the body’s perspiration system.

Hyperhidrosiscan be primary or secondary. Primary hypehidrosis usually starts during or even before the individual’s adolescent stage. In primary hyperhidrosis, the affected part of the body may be the hands, feet, or armpits. Primary hyperhidrosis is also known as focal hyperhidrosis and can run in families. Often, sufferers ignore the symptoms of primary hyperhidrosis – according to studies, primary hyperhidrosis affects 2-3% of the population, and not even 40% of these sufferers seek medical advice regarding this disorder.

Secondary hyperhidrosis, on the other hand, may come unexpectedly. It can affect anybody at any age. This type of hyperhidrosis is the result of an underlying condition, such as a disorder of the thyroid or pituitary gland, diabetes mellitus, tumors, gout, menopause, certain drugs, or mercury poisoning. The symptoms of secondary hyperhidrosis may be more serious than primary hyperhidrosis.

Regardless of the type and reason for onset, hyperhidrosis poses a serious physical and psychological problem for the sufferer. The discomfort and embarrassment the condition brings may affect the individual emotionally, and may cause him/her to delay or even forego treatment. It’s important to set aside fears and see a dermatologist immediately once your levels of perspiration causes you to worry. Identified early, hyperhidrosis may necessitate only mild forms of treatment and be prevented from escalating any further.